Socratic Seminars. We will end the year with an in-class discussion project called Socratic Seminars. We will use our class novel to get ideas for discussion.

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Presentation on theme: "Socratic Seminars. We will end the year with an in-class discussion project called Socratic Seminars. We will use our class novel to get ideas for discussion."— Presentation transcript:

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We will end the year with an in-class discussion project called Socratic Seminars. We will use our class novel to get ideas for discussion and debate, so it is vital that you are familiar with the theme, characters, and plot. Today, we will go over what Socratic Seminars are, what will be expected of you, and the rules/expectations while we work in Socratic Seminars. You will take notes as we go over everything so that you can refer back to them when we get into the actual seminars.

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(page 63L-R) Socratic Seminars The overall purpose of Socratic seminars, is to challenge accuracy and completeness of thinking in a way that acts to move people towards their ultimate goal.

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What is Socratic Seminar? A teaching strategy to encourage students to engage in critical thinking, listening, communicating, and wonder. A forum in which students determine the flow of classroom discussion and teachers serve as facilitators An atmosphere of intellectual engagement, cooperation, and conversation where students learn the difference between DIALOGUE and DEBATE The goal is not to answer questions, but to generate more questions

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Socratic Seminar: Guidelines 1. The group sits in a circle, allowing all participants to make eye contact. 2. Only students who have prepared for the seminar should participate in the discussion. 3. Silence is not a negative. 4. Allow discussion to flow on its own. 5. Mutual respect is a key to successful seminars. 6. One student speaks at a time. 7. Allow for post-seminar reflection time.

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The students’ responsibilities Being prepared for the seminar Directing the flow of the discussion within the seminar Determining the meaning of the seminar Constructing their own analysis of the seminar Utilizing critical thinking, listening, and communicating skills Respecting and honoring the opinions and voices of all other participants

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Socratic Seminar: Suggested Rules Do not raise your hand during discussion. Do not interrupt another person. Begin speaking when he or she has finished. Be respectful of all participants’ opinions. Disagreement is fine. Do so in a respectful manner. Don’t direct your comments to the teacher– direct them to everyone. No put-downs, arguments or sarcasm. Only one warning will be given. No evaluation will result on the second occurrence. Meaning you get a zero for that day’s seminar. All members must participate to be evaluated. Support your opinions with evidence from the text. Don’t be afraid to ask questions! Remember… there’s no one “RIGHT ANSWER.”

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How you will be Graded… You will need 50 points to get an A, 40 for a B… You “get points” by asking a question, answering one of your classmates questions, commenting on someone’s answer/comment, giving your opinion, referring back to the text… essentially, you get points by participating in the discussion. We will have 3 rounds of Socratic Seminars, so you will have multiple chances to get the amount of points you want to get.

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Socratic Seminars… Half of the class will sit in chairs formed in a circle so that everyone can see one another. The first group will have 30 minutes to discuss topics and pose questions/comments/answers from the novel. This is when you need to participate to get points. After 30 minutes, the second group will sit in the circle and have another 30 minute conversation. The “fire seat” is for those “burning questions/comments” the students on the outside of the circle have and want to bring in to the discussion. You can get points by jumping in, but you may only jump in for 1 minute at a time. After both groups have gone, I will give you a running balance of your points for the day.

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Expectations… You must participate. No rude comments, putdowns, etc. You will get one warning and then you are out of the circle and cannot participate, which means that you cannot get points. Only one person will speak at a time. Do not interrupt others. Do not raise your hand. Do not speak to the teacher, speak to your classmates. Respect everyone’s thoughts and opinions. Disagreement is fine as long as you are not rude.

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Exit Ticket (page 65L) You need to come up with 6 questions in preparation for Thursday/Friday Socratic Seminar. Socrates used 6 different types of questions for his seminars. You need to write at least 1 of each as your ticket out today. Here are the 6 types of questions… (you need to take notes on 65R)

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#1 Conceptual Clarification Questions “Tell me more” questions that get them to go deeper: How does this relate to what we have been talking about? What do we already know about this? Can you give me an example? Are you saying... or... ? Can you rephrase that, please?

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#2 Probing assumptions Makes them think about the beliefs on which they are founding their argument: Please explain why/how... ? How can you verify or disprove that assumption? What would happen if... ? Do you agree or disagree with... ?

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#3 Probing rationale, reasons and evidence Dig into the reasoning or rationale for their arguments: Why is that happening? How do you know this? Can you give me an example of that? What do you think causes... ? Are these reasons good enough? How can I be sure of what you are saying? Why is... happening?

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#4 Questioning Viewpoints and Perspectives Show that arguments are equally valid viewpoints: Another way of looking at this is..., does this seem reasonable? What alternative ways of looking at this are there? What would... say about it? What if you compared... and... ? How could you look another way at this?

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#5 Probe Implications and Consequences The argument that they give may have logical implications that can be forecast: Then what would happen? What are the consequences of that assumption? What are the implications of... ? Why is... important?

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#6 Questions about the question Turn the question in on itself: What was the point of asking that question? Why do you think I asked this question? Am I making sense? Why not? What else might I ask? What does that mean?